The Vatican's declaration Monday that priests can offer "blessings" for same-sex couples is "not legal," the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said.
"The aforementioned Declaration interprets the pastoral meaning of blessings in the Latin Church, not in the Eastern Catholic Churches," the UGCC said.
"It does not address questions of Catholic faith or morals, does not provide any precepts of the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches, and does not mention Eastern Christians. Therefore, on the basis of canon. 1492 of the CCC, this Declaration concerns purely the Latin Church and has no legal force for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church."
The Vatican's announcement was heralded by some as a step toward breaking down discrimination in the Catholic Church, but some LGBTQ+ advocates warned it underscored the church's idea that gay couples remain inferior to heterosexual partnerships.
The document from the Vatican's doctrine office elaborates on a letter Pope Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if the blessings weren't confused with the ritual of marriage.
The UGCC said the blessing from the priest always "has an evangelistic and catechetical dimension, therefore it cannot in any way contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church about the family as a faithful, indissoluble and fruitful union of love between a man and a woman, which our Lord Jesus Christ raised to the dignity of the Holy Sacraments of Marriage.
"Pastoral promptness prompts us to avoid ambiguous gestures, statements and concepts that would distort or distort the word of God and the teachings of the Church," the UGCC added.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.